Many school districts engage administrators and faculty in doing curriculum work over the summer. It is a good time for this type of work, because teachers are not encumbered with planning and providing instruction for and to students, respectively, and many teachers benefit from writing curriculum from a position of being able to reflect on … Continue reading Essential Things To Consider When Writing Music Curriculum
music curriculum
Piano Instruction Cannot Be at the Center of General Music Education
Recently I have read the proposition that music education centered on singing as a means for teaching music literacy is ineffective and obsolete. The author maintained that the methodologies of Kodaly and Orff were products of a time when nothing better was possible, and that now with the availability of technology, keyboard centered music education … Continue reading Piano Instruction Cannot Be at the Center of General Music Education
More on Learning Objectives
No matter what we do, having a target in mind is essential. If we don't know what we are trying to accomplish, nothing but sheer luck can bring our endeavor to a successful conclusion. In fact, without a target, we can't even know what success is or how to recognize we have succeeded. This goes … Continue reading More on Learning Objectives
Developing Goals and Objectives for the Music Curriculum
With this post, I continue my series in music curriculum writing. From the title, you may notice the phrase "goals and objectives" indicating that there is a difference between the two. Goals are open-ended, long-range general statements that provide direction for the entire music education program, PK-12. Goals indicate the broad areas of learning the students … Continue reading Developing Goals and Objectives for the Music Curriculum
What Are The Steps For Developing A Music Curriculum?
Today, I will begin a discussion on how to put together a music curriculum using the core arts standards for music. If you haven't yet done so, you might want to read my recent posts on the four artistic processes, because they are integral to the standards, and will be needed to write a music … Continue reading What Are The Steps For Developing A Music Curriculum?
A Closer Look At The Four Artistic Processes: Connecting
In the conceptual framework for the national core arts standards, the artistic process of connecting is defined as "relating artistic ideas and work with personal meaning and external context." This definition delineates the process of connecting to do entities: one's personal life, and the lives of others. The others may be contemporaries or historical, a … Continue reading A Closer Look At The Four Artistic Processes: Connecting
A Closer Look At The Four Artistic Processes: Performing
On July 9, I wrote about the artistic process of creating as it is presented in the Core Arts Standards (A Closer Look At the Four Artistic Processes: Creating). Today, I will write about the artistic process of performing. As far as the standards are concerned, creating is one side of the coin and performing is … Continue reading A Closer Look At The Four Artistic Processes: Performing
How “Market Driven” Should Music Education Be?
Some years ago, the district music coordinator I worked for had one guiding principle that she seemed to bring up more often than any other. It was the idea that we, the music teachers, should not be spending our precious class time teaching our students music they were already familiar with, but instead music that … Continue reading How “Market Driven” Should Music Education Be?
How Much Should Student Interest Drive Music Instruction?
Today I will continue a discussion I started yesterday about balancing influencers of instruction. In particular, I will examine the balance between student interest and curriculum. Curriculum is heavily influenced by state and federal performance standards. Although these standards are not mandatory, most states have adopted federal music standards, and most school districts have used … Continue reading How Much Should Student Interest Drive Music Instruction?
How Are We Doing Preparing Students for Careers in Music?
Preparing studnets for careers in music is appropriately done in electives rather than in required general music classes. The latter will typically have a small percentage of students who intend to or are even considering a career in music, so focusing on career preparation in general music quickly results in a relevancy problem for most … Continue reading How Are We Doing Preparing Students for Careers in Music?
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